Load-supporting pallets

ABSTRACT

The herein described load-supporting pallet briefly consists of a flat, expansible platform in the form of a rigid sandwich laminate in which the core is made of a rigid polymer material contained between top and bottom facings. At least two opposing sides of the platform are creased and slitted to form a series of integral foldable sections and constituting the expansible extent of the platform, whereby in operation the integral foldable sections are adapted to be folded over one another to complete and erect spaced parallel runners beneath the flat, expansible platform and abut the underside thereof and unfolded and expanded to return the platform to its original flat, expansible shape.

United States Patent [1 1 Lieberman LOAD-SUPPORTING PALLETS [221 Filed: Jan. 25, I974 1211 Appl. No.: 436,715

[76] Inventor:

[52] U.S. Cl. 428/12; 108/51; 428/126;

428/130; 428/137; 428/310; 428/320 {51] Int. Cl."- .4 B65D 19/00; B65D 19/18 [58] Field of Search 108/51, 52. 53, 54, 55,

[ 1 Oct. 7, 1975 3,654,053 4/1972 Toedter 161/149 Primary Examiner-George F. Lesmes Ass/Mun! Examiner-William R. Dixon, Jr.

[57] ABSTRACT The herein described load-supporting pallet briefly consists of a flat, expansible platform in the form of a rigid sandwich laminate in which the core is made of a rigid polymer material contained between top and bottom facings. At least two opposing sides of the platform are creased and slitted to form a series of integral foldahle sections and constituting the expansible extent of the platform, whereby in operation the integral foldable sections are adapted to be folded over one another to complete and erect spaced parallel runners beneath the flat, expansible platform and abut the underside thereof and unfolded and expanded to return the platform to its original flat, expansible shape.

8 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures US. Patent 061.7,1975 Sheet 1 of4 3,911,182

FIG I6 I9 I7 25 US. Patent Oct. 7,1975 Sheet 2 of4 3,911,182

US. Patent Oct. 7,1975 Sheet 3 of4 3,911,182

FIG 6 US. Patent Oct. 7,1975 Sheet 4 of4 3,911,182

r51 40 4 29 as LOAD-SUPPORTING PALLETS The invention relates to Improvements in Load- Supporting Pallets and the like, as described in the present specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings that form a part of the same.

The invention consists essentially in the novel features of construction as pointed out broadly and specifically in the claims for novelty following a description containing an explanation in detail of acceptable forms of the invention,

Generally, load-supporting pallets and the like are used in large manufacturing and industrial plants, warehouses, wholesale and retail establishments, and wherever merchandise, food prodtlcts and other articles are to be lifted and carried from one location to another. These pallets are mainly made from wood materials and consist of platforms having parallel runners longitudinally or transversally secured to their undersides by means of nails, staples, strappings or other suitable fastening means. These runners are separated from one another to create spaces or openings between them for the introduction of the forks of a lift truck, whereby the pallet and its accompanying load may be moved from one location to another and raised or lowered as required.

Such pallets, in the past, have been found quite satisfactory for their use in the shifting of materials and articles from one location to another, but under the present conditions, due to increasing momentum in modernizing plant equipment and the handling of merchandise, they are becoming quite inadequate for their purpose in the shifting of materials and articles from one location to another. This is partially caused by the ris ing costs in the manufacture and maintenance of the pallets, which generally require a pallet repair shop including their inventory and warehousing. Furthermore, these cumbersome pallets are unwieldy to handle and take up unnecessary and valuable space in conveyances, warehouses and other places of storage.

In order to avoid some of these objections found in the use of the wood pallets, other pallets have been made from molded plastics, corrugated paperboard, scrapped paperboard and plastics, aluminum and other materials, and in their use have only provided additional problems. These pallets often have excessive deflection and lack beam strength, which cause their sagging under load weight pressure, thereby making handling, stacking and racking of the pallets impractical and even dangerous. Such pallets are also provided with runners which are exteriorly molded therewith or otherwise fixedly secured thereto, so that there is little or no reduction in space saving.

It is therefore the purpose of this invention to devise a load-supporting pallet, preferably made from a polymer material, which consists of a flat, expansible platform having a series of foldable sections forming an in tegral part of the flat, cxpansible platform and that extend longitudinally and/or transversally thereof. The foldable sections are capable of being folded over one another to complete and erect laminated spaced parallel runners or skids, of the required depth, length and width, and the pallet is ready to be loaded with the designated merchandise. When the load has been removed from the pallet, the integral runners of the pallet may be unfolded and expanded to return the pallet to its original shape of a flat, expansible platform.

Among the objects of the invention is to devise a pallet, made from a foam laminate and the like, that will not warp or rack out of shape and have smooth, solid decks to protect merchandise and will be light in weight and economical in use.

Another object of the invention is to construct a pallet, preferably made from a polymer cellular structural laminate, having improved characteristics, at a unit weight and cost comparable to a commercially available single-deck type.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a pallet with compressive strength and rigidity derived from its closed cell foam structure that will cushion the load evenly on the pallet surface,

Still another object of the invention is to devise a load-supporting pallet having retractable runners which are integral and expansible therewith.

A still further object of the invention is to devise a pallet that will be made of few and simple parts, easy to assemble and operate and that will be durable in construction and efficient for its purpose.

Other and further objects of the invention will be readily understood and appreciated from the description set forth in the specification below when read in connection with the drawings illustrating various embodiments of the invention.

IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the load-supporting pallet in its expanded position and in the shape of a flat platform.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the load-supporting pallet showing its integral foldable sections being unfolded prior to being refolded over one another to complete integral runners or skids beneath the platform.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the pallet completed, with its integral laminated runners or skids erected thercbeneath and ready to receive and support a load.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a load-supporting pal let which is similarly constructed to the pallet as illustrated in FIG. 1, but with the exception that its integral foldable sections are increased in number so as to heighten the depth of the foldable sections when they are unfolded and then refolded to complete runners for the platform.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the load-supporting pallet, as shown in FIG. 4, in its erected position and ready to receive and support a load.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view ofa modified form of pallet in its expanded position and in the shape of a flat platform having retractable intermediate supporting members and retractable side foldable sections and all forming an integral part of the flat platform.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the modified form of pallet, as illustrated in FIG. 6, showing the integral and retractable intermediate supporting members and the retractable side foldable sections being lowered and simultaneously unfolded prior to being refolded over one another to complete integral intermediate supporting members and integral runners or skids beneath the platform.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the modified pallet, as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, completed with its integral supporting members or runners erected thercbeneath and ready to receive and support a load.

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view as taken along the line 99 in FIG. 8.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the various figures.

Referring to the drawings, the load-supporting pallet, as indicated by the numeral 15, is formed of a rigid sandwich laminate 16, the core of which is made from a rigid polymer material 17 and having a top facing 18 and a bottom facing 19 adherently attached to its top and bottom surfaces, the whole forming a flat, expansible platform 20.

The platform 20 is provided with a plurality of integral foldable sections 21, which are created through the longitudinal and/or transverse slitting and creasing of certain portions of the expansible platform adjacent to the sides thereof at 210 and 21b, to complete an equal series of parallel and integral foldable sections located adjacent to and including opposing sides of the platform The foldable sections are capable of being folded over one another beneath the bottom facing 19 to erect and complete sets of laminated runners or skids 22 which may be detachably held together by strips of ad hesives 23 located between the sections and/or by adhesive tapes 24 cxteriorly engaging the sections and the top and bottom facings l8 and 19.

The rigid sandwich laminate 16, which constitutes the flat, cxpansible platform 20, may be made of poly urethane having a cellular structure forming the core 17 and is provided with a top facing 18 and a bottom facing 19 made of acceptable materials such as hard- .board, kraft paper, paperboard, plastic and metal sheets, composite-board and other flexible materials that are capable of being slitted and creased in the formation of the platform 20 and have sufficient strength and rigidity, combined with lightness, to support and cushion a load placed thereon.

When the loads have been removed from the pallets and it is desirable to ship the pallets to other destinations or place in storage, the adhesive strips or tapes are separated or detached from the integral foldable sections, and the integral foldable sections may then be unfolded and expanded to return the pallet to its original shape of a flat, expansible platform.

ln FIGS. 4 and 5, the pallet is similarly constructed to the pallet as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, with the excep tion that the integral foldable sections 25 are increased in number, so that the foldable sections may be ad justed as to the required height in relation to the flat, expansible platform 20 and the surfaces of the lowermost erected sections 25 of the runners 26 by decreasing or increasing the number of sections that are folded over one another to complete and erect the spaced par allel runners or skids 26 beneath the platform 20.

A modified form of the load-supporting pallet 27 is illustrated in FIGS, 6 to 9, in which the pallet is formed of a rigid sandwich laminate 28, having a core 29, made of a rigid polymer material, and provided with top and bottom facings 30 and 31, the whole forming a flat, expansible platform 31a The foldable sections 32 form an integral part of the platform 31a and are located at and adjacent to at least two of the opposing sides thereof, from which they are creased and slitted at 33 and 34 to form the individually foldable sections 32 that are integral with one another and the platform 31a. Adjacent to each of the opposing sides of the platform, and on the underside thereof, is situated an inverted V-shaped cut 35 that extend paral lel to one another and to the opposing sides, and this is for the purpose that, when the integral foldable sec tions 32 are being folded with one another beneath the bottom facing 31, they will be directed to abut each other in a vertical position rather than in a horizontal position as illustrated in the other modifications. In this way, the integral runners or skids 36 are assembled and arranged with their flat surfaces converted into vertical surfaces or walls 37, all in alignment with one another,

Intermediate of the parallel runners or skids 36 are located the integrally retractable supporting sections 38 and which are formed out of predetermined aligned cutout portions 39 in the platform 31a and yet remain ing an integral part thereof. The retractable sections 38 are creased and slitted to form individual movable sections that are integral with one another and the platform, and capable of being ejected downwardly through the cutout portions 39 and then folded over one another beneath the bottom facing 31 of the pallet to complete the erection of the load-supporting members 40.

The utilization of retractable side and intermediate runners and supports to the pallet is particularly important where heavier loads than usual are to be lifted, lowered and carried from one place to another, as intermediate load supports may be necessary to prevent sagging of the platform under its load, When the load has been removed from the pallet, the side and intermediate runners and supports may simply be retracted back to their normal positions until the pallet is re quired to be used again, Again. these intermediate retractable load-supporting members 40 are equally applicable to be incorporated in the various modifications of the invention, if it is so desired.

Since certain changes may be made in the above structure and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim is:

l. A load-supporting pallet formed of a laminated material and comprising a flat, expansible platform having a core made from a polyurethane material, top and bottom facings formed of flexible material adher ently attached to the top and bottom surfaces of said core, a series of foldable sections forming an integral part of said flat, expansible platform and formed by longitudinally slitting and creasing certain portions of said facings and core of said platform and located adjacent to at least two of its opposing sides, whereby in op eration said foldable sections are adapted to be folded over one another to complete and erect spaced lami nated parallel runners beneath said flat, cxpansible platform and abutting the underside thereof.

2. A load-supporting pallet formed of a laminated material and comprising a flat, expansible platform having a core made from a polyurethane cellular structural laminate, top and bottom facings formed of a time ible material adherently attached to top and bottom surfaces of said core, foldable sections forming integral movable parts of said platform and formed by longitu dinally slitting and creasing certain portions of said fac ings and core of said platform and incorporated with at least two of the opposing sides thereof and constituting the expansible extent of said platform, whereby in operation said foldable sections are adapted to be folded over one another to complete and erect spaced laminated parallel runners beneath said flat, cxpansible platform and abut the underside thereof and unfolded and expanded to return said platform to its original flat, cxpansible shape.

3. A load-supporting pallet formed of a laminated material and comprising a flat, cxpansible platform having a core made of a rigid polyurethane material, top and bottom facings formed of a flexible material and adherently attached to the top and bottom surfaces of said core, foldable sections forming integral movable parts of said flat, cxpansible platform and formed by longitudinally slitting and creasing certain portions of said facings and core of said platform and incorporated with at least two of the opposing sides thereof, whereby in operation the foldable sections are adapted to be folded over one another to complete and erect spaced laminated parallel runners beneath said flat, cxpansible platform and abut the underside thereof and unfolded and expanded to return said platform to its original flat, cxpansible shape.

4. A load-supporting pallet as claimed in claim 3, in which the core of said pallet is made of a polyurethane material and capable of being slitted while still remaining a permanent part of the top and bottom facings, the said top and bottom facings adapted to be made of flexible materials and capable of being creased and slitted, the creases of said facings forming the hinges of the foldable sections.

5. A load-supporting pallet as claimed in claim 4, in which adhering strips are located at predetermined positions on the top and bottom facings of said pallet and adjacent to the creases extending through the facings, whereby in operation said foldable sections are adapted to be folded over one another, with said adhering strips located between said adjacent folded sections for detachably securing the folded sections to one another to complete and erect spaced laminated parallel runners beneath the bottom surface of said pallet.

6. A load-supporting pallet formed of a laminated material and comprising a flat, cxpansible platform having a core made of a polyurethane material, top and bottom facings formed of flexible material attached to top and bottom surfaces of said core, a plurality of foldable sections forming integral movable portions of said platform and formed by longitudinally slitting and creasing certain portions of said facings and said core of said platform and incorporated with at least two of the opposing sides and constituting the expansible portions of said platform, intermediate retractable loadsupporting sections individually formed out of predetermined cutout portions in said platform and movably integral therewith, whereby in operation said side foldable sections and said intermediate retractable sections are adapted to be folded over one another to complete and erect spaced laminated parallel runners and intermediate load-supporting members and placed beneath said flat, cxpansible platform and abut the underside thereof and unfolded and expanded to return said platform to its original flat, cxpansible shape.

7. A load-supporting pallet as claimed in claim 6, in which the integrally supporting sections are formed out of predetermined aligned cutout portions in said platform and creased and slitted to form individual hinged movable sections with one another and the platform, whereby in operation capable of being ejected downwardly through the cutout portions of the platform and then folded over one another beneath the lower facing of said platform and abut the underside thereof to complete the erection of said laminated intermediate load supporting members.

8. A load-supporting pallet as claimed in claim 6, in which the underside of said platform, and adjacent to two of its opposing sides, is formed with inverted V- shaped cuts that extend parallel to one another and to the opposite sides and constituting a part of said foldable sections, whereby in operation, as the foldable sections are folded with one another beneath said platform, they will abut each other in a laminated vertical position. 

1. A LOAD-SUPPORTING PALLET FORMED OF A LAMINATED MATERIAL AND COMPRISING A FLAT, EXPANSIBLE PLATFORM HAVING A CORE MADE FROM A POLYURETHANE MATERIAL, TOP AND BOTTOM FACINGS FORMED OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL ADHERENTLY ATTACHED TO THE TOP AND BOTTOM SUFACES OF SAID CORE, A SERIES OF FOLDABLE SECTIONS FROMING AN INTEGRAL PART OF SAID FLAT, EXPANSIBLE PLATFORM AND FORMED BY LONGITUDINALLY SLITTING AND CREASING CERTAIN PORTIONS OF SAID FACINGS AND CORE OF SAID PLATFORM AND LOCATION ADJACENT TO AT LEAST TOW OF ITS OPPOSING SIDES. WHEREBY IN OPERATION SAID FOLDABLE SECTIONS ARE ADAPTED TO BE FOLDED OVER ONE ANOTHER TO COMPLETE AND ERECT SPACED LAMINATED PARALLEL RUNNERS BENEATH
 2. A load-supporting pallet formed of a laminated material and comprising a flat, expansible platform having a core made from a polyurethane cellular structural laminate, top and bottom facings formed of a flexible material adherently attached to top and bottom surfaces of said core, foldable sections forming integral movable parts of said platform and formed by longitudinally slitting and creasing certain portions of said facings and core of said platform and incorporated with at least two of the opposing sides thereof and constituting the expansible extent of said platform, whereby in operation said foldable sections are adapted to be folded over one another to complete and erect spaced laminated parallel runners beneath said flat, expansible platform and abut the underside thereof and unfolded and expanded to return said platform to its original flat, expansible shape.
 3. A load-supporting pallet formed of a laminated material and comprising a flat, expansible platform having a core made of a rigid polyurethane material, top and bottom facings formed of a flexible material and adherently attached to the top and bottom surfaces of said core, foldable sections forming integral movable parts of said flat, expansible platform and formed by longitudinally slitting and creasing certain portions of said facings and core of said platform and incorporated with at least two of the opposing sides thereof, whereby in operation the foldable sections are adapted to be folded over one another to complete and erect spaced laminated parallel runners beneath said flat, expansible platform and abut the underside thereof and unfolded and expanded to return said platform to its origiNal flat, expansible shape.
 4. A load-supporting pallet as claimed in claim 3, in which the core of said pallet is made of a polyurethane material and capable of being slitted while still remaining a permanent part of the top and bottom facings, the said top and bottom facings adapted to be made of flexible materials and capable of being creased and slitted, the creases of said facings forming the hinges of the foldable sections.
 5. A load-supporting pallet as claimed in claim 4, in which adhering strips are located at predetermined positions on the top and bottom facings of said pallet and adjacent to the creases extending through the facings, whereby in operation said foldable sections are adapted to be folded over one another, with said adhering strips located between said adjacent folded sections for detachably securing the folded sections to one another to complete and erect spaced laminated parallel runners beneath the bottom surface of said pallet.
 6. A load-supporting pallet formed of a laminated material and comprising a flat, expansible platform having a core made of a polyurethane material, top and bottom facings formed of flexible material attached to top and bottom surfaces of said core, a plurality of foldable sections forming integral movable portions of said platform and formed by longitudinally slitting and creasing certain portions of said facings and said core of said platform and incorporated with at least two of the opposing sides and constituting the expansible portions of said platform, intermediate retractable load-supporting sections individually formed out of predetermined cutout portions in said platform and movably integral therewith, whereby in operation said side foldable sections and said intermediate retractable sections are adapted to be folded over one another to complete and erect spaced laminated parallel runners and intermediate load-supporting members and placed beneath said flat, expansible platform and abut the underside thereof and unfolded and expanded to return said platform to its original flat, expansible shape.
 7. A load-supporting pallet as claimed in claim 6, in which the integrally supporting sections are formed out of predetermined aligned cutout portions in said platform and creased and slitted to form individual hinged movable sections with one another and the platform, whereby in operation capable of being ejected downwardly through the cutout portions of the platform and then folded over one another beneath the lower facing of said platform and abut the underside thereof to complete the erection of said laminated intermediate load-supporting members.
 8. A load-supporting pallet as claimed in claim 6, in which the underside of said platform, and adjacent to two of its opposing sides, is formed with inverted V-shaped cuts that extend parallel to one another and to the opposite sides and constituting a part of said foldable sections, whereby in operation, as the foldable sections are folded with one another beneath said platform, they will abut each other in a laminated vertical position. 